Brewery Bhavana

We finally made it to Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh and it was an incredible experience from the delicious food to the beautiful, moody interiors. I have been wanting to eat here after it was included in Bon Appetit's 10 Best New Restaurants in the country. It is owned by Patrick Woodson and brother-and- sister team Vansana and Vanvisa Nolintha. The original restaurant, Bida Manda, was on my wish list too, but it was so hard to get into that it just never worked out. I just watched a video about how they started Bida Manda and it is a wonderful and moving story. It makes me love their restaurants even more. It is not long...watch it if you can. It is such an inspiring story.

Brewery Bhavana is just as hard to get into, but my friend Laura and I made a lunch reservations instead and we were able to snag a table. Since there are only two of us we could only order so much, but the few things we tried were so delicious. Next time we want to go with a big group so we can order everything!

Food photographers have a lot of restraint because we ate all of the best dumplings I have ever had before getting a picture!

The duck egg rolls and steamed buns were delicious too!

I love when you walk into a restaurant and the design makes you feel like you have been transported to another place. The lighting, cane chairs, and potted trees take you away to an exotic setting. There is a beautiful flower and bookshop in the restaurant, and as strange as that sounds, it all comes together to create very special atmosphere.

The stunning bar with 40 beers on tap.

All photos by Laura Montross

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